A Special Glow
by vespy12
Summary: With the Christmas near, Houtarou Oreki comes to face his feelings when Chitanda Eru gets confessed to. UPDATE: Changed title because I don't see it fitting the story. HoutaxEru.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This is my first story so please bear with me XD I'd like it if you could point out some stuff that'll help me out later, there'll be a lot of thanks!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Hyouka.

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On a rather cool afternoon, Houtarou Oreki sat in the empty room of the Classics Club reading silently to himself with head in palm while enjoying the peace that rests in the atmosphere. It's not always this quiet for there was always three more people who were in the club that took up most of the peace that Houtarou loved so much and were now away. Satoshi Fukube, Houtarou's best friend, and Mayaka Ibara were at the Sewing Club meeting for prepartions on the 24th of December, the Christmas Festival, where the Manga Society are at also, leaving the him and the club President, Eru Chitanda , alone though it seems she hasn't arrived yet.

While dozing off, Houtarou almost banged his head on the table while slipping off of his hand but, luckily, caught himself in time. He looked around to expect someone to open the door and apologize for being late but all there was was silence. Yawning, he stared at the closed window and saw it was getting late. But before he could do anything, the door slid back to reveal a surprised girl. "O-Oreki-san? I thought you would've gone home by now." said a slightly red Eru Chitanda.

Slightly surprised he quickly recollected his thoughts. "I was reading and lost the time." he simply said. Noticing Chitanda's delay in replying, he saw there was a slight blush on her face and shook her head.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I... I had to go somewhere." she said. She walked and sat in front of Houtarou and dozed off. Houtarou closed his book and wondered if he should ask what happened but knew if he asked, he might be sent on a trip to satisfy endless questions that wandered inside her head.

Almost regretting his decision, he asked, "You seem a bit dazed. What happened?" Caught by surprise, Chitanda jumped and hesitated to tell. In the end though, she did anyway.

"Y-you see, this morning there was a note in my shoe box asking if I could meet up with someone behind the school at 5. Thinking there was nothing wrong with it, I decided to be quick with it see what they wanted..." she trailed off and blushed again. "Um... A guy from class 1-D c-confessed to me and a-asked if I could go with him... to the Christmas Party next week..."

Houtarou almost fell out of his chair at the last sentence of her story. "And you replied?" he asked carefully while looking directly at her eyes.

"I told him that I'd think about it." she finally said. (To which Houtarou sighed in relief) There was a silence between them that seemed to last hours but Chitanda finally broke it. "W-What should I do?" she asked desprately.

Houtarou crossed his arms and started to think. What could she do? She might as well give him an answer but ... "Do you like him?" he asked calmly. Surprised by his question, she stared at the table as if it'll answer for her.

"Well, he doesn't seem bad and he seemed very happy that I didn't reject him...and I'd feel bad if I said no." she said while staring down at the table still. Houtarou sighed again. Chitanda was nice enough to ask him for help so he might as well give her a suggestion. Though, it might not be to his liking.

"Just say yes then. You're not going to lose anything." he grumbled and began to read his book again. It's not his problem so why waste energy? he thought. But unnoticed to him, Chitanda, in disappointment, thanked him and left quietly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note****:** I know realize Houtarou might be a little OOC... so please excuse that XD

**DISCLAIMER: **I do now own Hyouka

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The morning after, Houtarou lazily walked towards school and was tired than ever. For some reason, he couldn't sleep the night before and his thoughts always turned toward Chitanda and the mystery guy from class 1-D. Aimlessly walking, he wondered, Who would fall in love with someone like Chitanda? She isn't bad looking... A little over average... Maybe a little- Blushing, he shook those thoughts away to be greeted by an all to familiar sandy burnette walking with a bike.

"Oi! Houtarou!" yelled an overly excited Satoshi Fukube. "You look pretty tired. What happened to you?" That was a good question. What did happen to me? Houtarou questioned himself silently. "Nothing. I just couldn't sleep. That's all."

As classes flew by, Houtarou continued to wonder whether or not Chitanda agreed to go with the 1-D guy or not but eventually came to the conclusion that all this questioning himself was wasting energy. Slumping in his chair, he put his text book up to hide his face and decided to sleep through the morning classes.

Houtarou now stood before the Classics Club door and realized that he was early, unlike other days. Reluctant to slide the door open, he wondered if he should skip today and just go home. What am I afraid of? Houtarou questioned himself angryly. But just as he was about to open the door, a shocked voice came from the inside.  
"Eh? Chi-chan got asked out?" said Mayaka Ibara. Houtarou stopped in front of the door to listen to the rest.. "No way! By who? Oreki?" By now, he choked at the statement. Me? Why would I ask Chitanda out? She's the opposite of me...

"M-Mayaka-san! Why would Oreki-san ask someone like me? And please be quiet! What if someone were to hear us?" Chitanda whispered but loud enough Houtarou could still hear.

Mayaka laughed. "Yea, you're way to good for him! And no one really comes up here but us and Oreki and Fu-chan are always late." Hearing a chair scoot out and a slight thump, Houtarou guessed someone had sat down. "So? Did you reply yet?" Mayaka asked teasingly.

Flustered, Chitanda began to stutter again. "Um, w-well, y-you see, I-" Having enough of this conversation, Houtarou boldly slid the door open and walked in. Surprised, Chitanda and Mayaka jumped at the sight of him. "O-Oreki-san! You're early today!" Chitanda said quickly to fill in the awkward silence.

"Were you listening?" Mayaka said while glaring at Houtarou fiercly. He shrugged and sat down on the chair closest the window and began reading. Chitanda desparartely looked at Mayaka and quietly said, "Later." And just at that moment, Satoshi entered the scene wearing a Santa Clause suit and a fake beard.

"Merry Christmas!" 'Santa Clause' said. In disbelief, Mayaka drooped her eyes and asked, "What are you doing Fuku-Chan? And it's not even Chrismas yet!" Posing, Satoshi showing off his costume and said, "This is what I'm gonna wear! Spent all night putting it together," changing his voice to a lower tone, he teasingly asked, "Well Mayaka-chan, what would you like for Christmas? Have you been a good girl?"

"W-What are you saying?" said the flustered girl. Mayaka crossed her arms and showed Satoshi her back.  
After laughing a bit, Chitanda asked , "So, what does Mayaka-san and Oreki-san plan on wearing to the party?" Mayaka, slightly blushing, said, "I-It's a surprise," and quickly added, "What are you planning to wear Chi-chan?" Tooken by surprise, Chitanda put her hand on her chin and thought for a bit.  
"Mm, I haven't thought about it. What do you think I should wear?" she asked. "Eh? You haven't thought about it yet? Hm, well, I can see you in an angel costume..." Mayaka replied. "Oh! Good idea! I can get the Sewing Club to make one for you," said Satoshi, "But you'd have to come over sometime to get your measurements tooken." Thinking for a bit again, she then said, "If it's not to much for you, I will accept."

When silence began to sink in, Houtarou looked up to realize that everyone was waiting for what he was going to wear. "Well Oreki-san?" Chitanda asked. "I don't think I even want to go." he said with his eyes back to his book. "Just as expected. 'No point in wasting energy to go to a party.' Is probably what Houtarou is thinking." Satoshi said. "Oreki! Quit being a bum and have fun for a bit! Do you even have anything planned during Christmas Eve?" Mayaka said while glaring, yet again, him.

After that, they managed to convince the extremely relunctant Houtarou to come by using the trump card, Chitanda. "Oreki-san! Please come! It won't be fun without everyone there!" she said while being an inch away from his face. Feeling his face burn a little, he somehow pulled his eyes away from hers back to his book and said, "W-Won't you be with someone else?" As if not knowing what he was talking about, Houtarou said with a slight angry tone, "That 1-D guy! The one that confessed to you." Realization showed on her face and began to redden at the thought. "W-well, I... I kindly turned him down..." she mumbled. Mayaka gaped while Houtarou felt a wave of unknown relief. "But why would you do that Chi-chan?" Mayaka asked. Reddening, Chitanda said, "B-Because... I found someone I like..."


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Hyouka.

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"EH?" everyone said in unison except Chitanda who was slowly getting redder by the second. Mayaka grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Chi-chan, who IS this guy? Is he good looking? Smart? What's his name? What class is he in?" Chitanda looked like she was about to faint from all the questions.

"W-well... I'm in no place to say if he's 'good looking' but he is rather very smart." Chitanda said while still muttering. Houtarou found himself scrunching up a page from his book. "Chi-chan! Who is he? For someone to capture you heart, he must be very eye catching." Houtarou caught Chitanda glimpsing at him but then went back to face Mayaka. "H-He's... He is..." the more she struggled the more Houtarou noticed more scrunched pages started to appear. Satoshi took notice and smirked. "Hm? Houtarou seems to be-" before Satoshi finished, Houtarou got up and annouced his leaving. While he approached the door, he threw away pages that were ripped from the book. When he left, Satoshi said, "Chitanda-san, I don't think he's very smart.

When Houtarou arrived at his peaceful home, he jumped on his bed without changing and thought. Am I smart? Someone 'very smart' must be either a senpai or one of the high ranking students during the exams... Smart doesn't nessacarily mean book smart... But then there'd be millions of guys who can be considered 'smart'...

With another sleepless night, Houtarou dragged his feet to school yet again. When he arrived at the gates to the school, he noticed Chitanda walking to school with a guy. He said something and she laughed. Seeing them like this made Houtarou slightly angry. He felt like grabbing her and dragging her to the school and leave the guy behind. But noticing that he already arrived at the entrance to the building, he shook the feeling away.

"With that, class is dismissed." "Rise! Bow." "Ne, ne, wanna go shopping together?" "Nah, I got a meeting." The classroom buzzed of afterschool activities but Houatarou walked to the entrance deciding that it was okay to skip club activities but was caught by a challenge not in his shoe box. "Please meet me behind the school building. I'd like to set something straight." It said. The hand writing was roughly wrote so his best guess was that it was a guy who wrote it. But is spending energy on something like this really worth it? Houtarou thought. "This could be quick." He said.

When he arrived at the destination, a guy with brown locks and a slight build stood against the building but stood properly at the sight of Houtarou. "So you really came." he said. "My name is Ryosuke Togosai. I'm in class 1-D and have a question to ask of you." Stunned, Houtarou just stood there. 1-D, he thought, this must be the guy who confessed to Chitanda. "And that is?" he asked. "Do you like Chitanda-san?" Ryosuke asked calmly. "What?" Houtarou said completely stunned by the question. What did he say? Do I like Chitanda? "I said, Do you like Chitanda-san? And please answer seriously." Ryosuke said. "Why ask?" Houtarou said. "Just answer." Ryousuke said in a more forced tone.

The silence between the two of them made the atmosphere tense. Houtarou didn't know what to say. Chitanda is a straight A student. Born in a rich family and has good looks. She has a strong sense of smell and has curiosity that could kill millions. Could he fall for someone so different from him? He had no idea. But he can't leave the question unanswered. "I... I don't dislike her." He answered finally.

With a sigh, Ryosuke kicked a rock. "Well then, please take care of her for me." Ryosuke said while picking up his bag to leave. "Wait! Why ask?" Houtarou quicky said. He wanted to know why such an out of blue question was directed to someone like him.

Chuckling, Ryosuke said, "Good luck." and with that, he left leaving Houtarou confused greatly.

Instead of heading home, Houtarou found himself walking towards the Classics Club. Sliding the door open, he stared down at a white angel. "H-Hello Oreki-san." said Chitanda. "See this Houtarou? The Sewing Club managed finish her costume in ONE day!" Satoshi said while proudly pointing at Chitanda's costume. She wore a white alluring spaghetti strap dress that reached to her knees and had her hair tied up to reveal her shoulders. She wore fuzzy wings on her back that somehow matched her dark hair. "H-how does it look?" Chitanda said while nervously figeting. Noticing that he was staring at her without saying anything, Houtarou blushed and looked away. "Y-you don't look bad..." He managed to say.

"Eh? That's all you have to say Oreki?" Mayaka said in disappointment. What else COULD he say? Houtarou continued to look away from Chitanda while walking towards his usual seat by the window. To calm himself down, he opened up his book to notice he lost his page and remembered his page massacre the day before. Pretending to be engrossed by his book, Satoshi rolled his eyes at the stubborness of Houtarou. "Looks like we have to try harder." he said while smirking to Mayaka.

After a few minutes, Chitanda walked up toward Houtarou nervously and stuttered, "O-Oreki-san!" surprised, Houtarou jumped from his seat. Wearing the same costume, he blushed at the sight and started to look the other way. "W-what is it?" he said. "Um, well, we were all planning to meet up on the 23rd to go ice skating. Would you like to come?" she asked. Ice skating? Houtarou began thinking Satoshi had planned some way to trap him. He searched for Satoshi and Mayaka to notice they weren't in the room. "Where's Satoshi and Mayaka?" he asked. "They left and asked me to invite you." Chitanda said. Forgetting the danger, he looked at Chitanda and was caught by her eyes. They had a glow that was different than before. It wasn't curiosity. What could she be curious about? "S-sure." he found himself saying as if in a trance. "Really? That's great! Please meet us at the train station at 9 in the morning."

As he parted ways with her, Houtarou asked himself the question that's been wondering at the back of his head, 'Does he like Chitanda?'

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**Author's Note: **Well, Ch4 might be the last chapter but I might add a SatoshixMayaka extra ;D Ch4 coming soon~


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Oh god, this made me so frustrated. I myself dont know how to display Houtarou's feelings. Good thing I started right away XD Enjoy this Final chapter.

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Hyouka.

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Chitanda Eru was always used to waking up early. But she couldn't sleep for she knew everyone would meet up to go ice skating tomorrow. And Oreki-san is coming too. Added a thought. Smiling, she hugged her pillow and finally found sleep.

"Oh no... I came an hour early." she said shamefully while sitting on the bench. Remembering the week before about their plan for today, a flashback began:

"OREKI? The guy Chi-chan likes is OREKI?" Mayaka exclaimed in horror. "How could someone like you fall for someone like THAT?" Chitanda pouted. "Mayaka-san! Oreki-san isn't all that bad." Mayaka face tabled and groaned. "Chi-chan, Oreki is weird and lazy. How can someone as perfect for you fall for someone like... like THAT?" Mayaka said once again. "Sheesh, you sure don't like Houtarou." Satoshi said while giggling at her remarks. Blushing, Mayaka crossed her arms.

"Well, Mayaka has a point though. What part of Houtarou caught your liking Chitanda-san?" Satoshi asked. "Hm... Well, Oreki-san has a very unique way of thinking and is different from anyone I ever met." Chitanda said after thinking a bit. Mayaka stared at Chitanda in disbelief hile Satoshi laughed rather loudly. "Heheh, well, Houtarou is a pretty hard person to come by these days." he said amusingly. Mayaka glared at Satoshi then said, "Well Chi-chan, guess I can still help you but there are plenty of better guys out there." "Yes, but I can't think about anyone else like Oreki-san." Chitanda said. Satoshi whistled and Mayaka blushed. "You're pretty bold now Chitanda-san." Satoshi said. "Hm, my uncle owns an ice skating rink around here. Maybe we could all go together and create a chance for Chi-chan to confess." Mayaka stated. "Oo! Good idea, why don't you invite Houtarou Chitanda-san?" Satoshi suggested. "Eh? Me? Can I convince him?" Mayaka and Satoshi looked at eachother and laughed. "We have something in mind." Satoshi said.

And thus, everything following lead up to this point. "Ah, Good morning Chi-chan!" greeted Mayaka. "Good morning Mayaka-san!" said Chitanda while getting up. "Oi! We're here!" yelled Satoshi riding a bike along side Houtarou. At the sight of Chitanda, Houtarou blushed and looked away. Why did he look away? She asked herself.

As they have already payed and entered, the man behind the counter took down each of their shoe sizes (Houtarou reluntantly did so but Chitanda said otherwise) "Okay! Let's have fun!" Satoshi said as he walked out with his skates to immediately fall. Laughing, Mayaka tried to help him up but got caught by his leg and fell too. "Fuku-chan! Why did you do that?" Mayaka said while accusingly glaring at Satoshi. "E-Eh, my leg just happened to be there." He replied nervously.

Giggling, Chitanda walked out onto the ice smoothly. "Eh? Chi-chan, you can ice skate?" Mayaka said with a gaping mouth. "Hm? This is my first time." Chitanda said while increasing speed. "S-She's way to good for him." Mayaka said while staring at her in disbelief.

Chitanda could only keep her balance but noticed Houtarou sitting on a near by bench. Without noticing, she bumped into a person and fell. "Oh, I'm sorry I wasn't looking!" she said while trying to get up. The person quickly accepted and returned iceskating. She looked again to see Houtarou still struggling with his iceskates. Smiling, she went over to him.

"Oreki-san? Do you need help with that?" she said. Houtarou looked up to see Chitanda already fumbling with his ice skates. "There!" Chitanda said proudly reavealing the perfection of perfect knots. On reflex, she showed a broad smile to Houtarou. "Well, are you coming?" she said while giving out her hand. In a trance like state, Houtarou was about to grab her hand when Chitanda realized what she had done. Flustered, Chitanda quickly retracted her hand and said, "O-Oh! I'm sorry! U-Um..." What am I doing? Usually couples do that, don't they? She scolded herself. Waking up, Houtarou, too, realized what she had offered and blushed slightly. "It's okay." He said to reassure Chitanda.

As he looked at the rink before him, Houtarou drooped his eyes. Knowing this will require a large amount of energy, he stood at the entrance and observed other skaters. Satoshi and Mayaka were laughing again as they fell. But for sure had fallen less than in the beginning. "What are you doing Oreki-san?" said a voice next to him. Turning around, Houtarou realized he had been holding up the line. "Oh, sorry." he said while taking a step out, he slowly entered the rink. His mind blank, he aimlessly wandered around. "Be careful Oreki-san!" Chitanda said but as to late. As time slowed down, he realized he had bumped into Chitanda and fell backwards. Struggling with her balance, Chitanda fell too. Blackness engulfed him and he welcomed it.

"...Oreki..." Mm... Go away. Houtarou told the voice. "...Wake...Oreki-san!" The gentle voice kept grabbing his consciencenss but he pulled back. "Oreki-san! Please wake up!" the voice clearer that ever, Houtarou slowly opened his eyes to look up to violet ones. "Ah, your awake!" Chitanda said in relief. Confused, he looked around to see he was on the train. On the seats across were Mayaka and Satoshi smirking at Houtarou. Still confused about what, he looked up again to see a blushing Chitanda. Crap! I was sleeping on her lap! He realized and quickly stood up but was stiked with a sharp pain. "Don't move much, Oreki-san!" Chitanda said while helping him sit back down. "Ugh... How long was I out?" He grumbled under the pain. "Hm, about an hour. You took a pretty hard hit to the head. Lucky enough there wasn't any blood." Satoshi said. "Chi-chan fell on you too." Mayaka added. Chitanda looked at the floor in shame. "I'm sorry Oreki-san. If I had been more careful, you wouldn't have fainted." she said apologeticly while staring at Houtarou. "W-well. You couldn't help it. So I guess there's no reason to grieve over something that small." Houtarou said.

The rest of the rid had been silent and when they arrived at their home station, everyone stood up. "Well, that concludes our trip. Have a good afternoon everyone!" Chitanda said breaking the silence. Without notcing, Houtarou looked at Chitanda. She smiled in return. Blushing at the gesture, he looked away. The train took a sudden stop making everyone struggle for balance. When the train came to a complete stop, Houtarou couldn't stop. He was about to fall over Chitanda. Crap! He cursed himself in his head. "Ehem, we apologize to the passengers for almost missing our stop. Please be careful on your way out and have a good night." ended the announcement from the entercom.

Chitanda had heard the loud screeching of the train when she lost her stepping. A shadow loomed over her and she looked to see it was Houtarou falling over.  
"Eh?" Thud! "Chi-chan! Are you-" Mayaka stopped mid sentence in shock. Chitanda felt a presence on her lips. It was gave her a warm feeling inside that almost made her feel surprised. Houtarou, realizing this, quickly got off of Chitanda and gradually grew red. When the doors opened, the group left quietly.

As they left the station, Chitanda continued to touch her lips and Houtarou glowed red while trying to stay far from Chitanda. Satoshi and Mayaka looked at eachother wondering what to do next. "W-Well Chi-chan, see you tomorrow." Mayaka said while dragging Satoshi by the arm. "L-Later!" Satoshi said while taking one last look at the two.

The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward. Houtarou continued to play over the scene in his head. His falling on Chitanda to end up kissing her. He looked over to the unusually silent being next to him. Chitanda was still feeling her lips while showing a surprised expression.

Oreki-san and I shared what most people call a 'kiss'. This would be my first...kiss... Chitanda thought while playing the scene in her head over and over again. Realizing the silence between them, Chitanda shot her head up and looked at Houtarou. Surprised by the sudden action, he slightly jumped.

Mayaka-san and Fukube-san left this chance for me! I need to use it! Chitanda thought "Oreki-san, can we talk?" Chitanda said. Houtarou, still flustered, said, "We're alone now. Just tell me now." he said wondering what Chitanda would say. "T-then let's take a walk." Chitanda said while quickly losing her courage. "Okay then... I'll walk you home." Houtarou said while trying to calm himself down. They walked silently making the silence almost unbearable. Realizing they weren't far from her home, she walked in front of Houtarou. W-what should I say? She thought countless of conversations to start but failed to start them.

"O-Oreki-san!" Chitanda said with nervousness overwhelming her. "I-I... I have something improtant to say!" she began. Houtarou looked blankly at her. Why is she struggling so much to say something? He thought. Heart beating at a fast rate, Chitanda realized her big chance is now or never. "I... I... Oreki-san...: Why can't she say it? She said it easier to Mayaka-san and Fukube-san... "I like Oreki-san!" Chitanda yelled. Tooken by surprised, Houtarou took a step back. Chitanda closed her eyes waiting for what would come next.

Houtarou looked at Chitanda in disbelief. She said she likes him? "What do you mean by that?" he said surprisingly calm but knows he's going a mess. Looking up, Chitanda couldn't look him in the eye. "I-Uhm... I..." Chitanda losing the ability to talk, she took a deep breath. She walked up to Houtarou and simply kissed him. Houtarou, surprised at her bold move, found himself slowly closing his eyes.

When she let go, she blushed. "Oreki-san... I... I like you more than a friend. Before I knew it, you became someone I always thought about and sometimes even made me smile without knowing." Staring at the ground trying to become prepared for rejection, Houtarou took a few steps toward Chitanda. With the menacing silence, Chitanda looked up to be greeted by Houtarou's lips. When parted, he whispered, "I like you too." Shocked, Chitanda fell down. "O-oi!" Houtarou said. Chitanda began tearing up. All those times when she thought he might not like her disappeared and was replaced with happiness. "O-Oh, I'm sorry... I'm just... Happy." She finally said.

Not knowing what to do, Houtarou looked around to see if anyone was seeing this. "O-Okay. If your happy get up. Your skirt is getting dirty!" He said while helping her up. "A-anyway," Houtarou stuttered. Chitanda looked up at him with teary eyes. Blushing he looked the other way. "Would you like to come with me to the Christmas party?" It was Chitanda's turn to be surprised. "E-eh? What about Mayaka-san and Fukube-san?" she asked. "Satoshi would understand." Houtarou said. Cleaning her face with a handkerchief, she smiled at Houtarou. "Yes, that would be nice." And with that, they parted ways to look forward to tomorrow. When Chitanda arrived at her room, she began to fluster at the thought of seeing Houtarou again. But underneath that, was pure happiness.

_ The End._


End file.
